Opinions

The uncertain global economic and political conditions have impacted Singapore negatively.

According to the latest data published by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the unemployment rate in the 3^rd quarter of 2019 was the highest in almost a decade.

The ministry explained that uncertainties has resulted in cautious hiring. It added that there is a need “to help unemployed job seekers overcome skill mismatches, with the remaining vacancies”.

What is the PAP doing to navigate Singapore through these uncertain economic conditions?

It has always preached the importance of a Singapore that is open, connected, and relevant to the world.

Have they achieved that?

Whether we like it or not, Singapore has little influence over the global order.

The bigger, powerful countries will continue to do what they can, in the interest of their own sovereignty and security, as well as their own economic growth.

What have we reaped from this?

The PAP seemed to be bankrupt of creative solutions now, when we need it most.

Like they have done in the past, they may sell this economic slowdown as a reason to vote them in due to their past experience. The tactic worked in the past. We must do whatever is electorally possible, to not allow this to happen again.

Yet, is that what we want?

New leaders with fresh impetus and ideas, may be what we need instead. Singaporeans must just be brave enough to make that choice to change their future.

Singapore is a food paradise. We love our food. As long as they're delicious and cheap. For the most part, if the food is not funky or dubious, we don't care where our food come from.

Imagine the shock when a female NUS exchange student from France got a scolding from a stall auntie for enquiring on the origins of the food. She was so baffled, it prompted her to share her experience online.

According to the student, she is health concious and thus, she pays attention to what she eats. To gauge the quality, she will normally find out where the ingredients are sourced from and if organic and environmentally-friendly methods were used. She explained that in France, this was a common practice even when dining in small, family-run restaurants.

She tried to do as per normal at a chicken rice stall in a canteen at NUS, requesting the auntie the source of her rice and chicken and the rearing method. 

Cue angry retorts in Singlish from the auntie, who appeared offended by the questions. The student understood the auntie to have said that she (the student) can choose to patronise other stalls if she was unhappy with the food.

For the second year running, in a survey carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Singapore topped the world in terms of food security.

The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019 takes into account the performance of each country in four main areas. These four pillars include natural resourse and resilience, quality, accessibility, and affordability.

Singapore fared well in the last three areas but did not do well in the area of food security resilience due to its lack of natural food sources and its dependence on food imports.

While Singapore fared well in the survey in terms of accessibility and affordability of food, this finding may not resonate with some quarters of Singaporeans.

Due to the relatively high cost of living, a basic need like food can be expensive to a majority among the lower-income earners in Singapore.

For this group, the demands on their salalries are also greater. Thus, there are trade-offs to be made. A meal may just consist of a serving of rice and egg, or rice with a can of sardines.

Some can only afford the cheapest breads in order to pay for their housing, utilities, and education, before they can decide on what to feed themselves.

Food security does not mean anything to these lower-income group. It is still a struggle.

How then can we, as a country, ensure more equitable distribution of resources so that they are able to access safe and nutritious, but inexpensive food?

A fire at a 13th floor HDB unit in Bukit Batok resulted in a warning for the Jurong-Clementi Town Council (JCLTC), issued by the SCDF. The attending SCDF officers were unable to access the locked fire-hose compartments, and there were also no water supply to the hoses.

The MP for the area, Murali Pillai, explained that JCLTC had taken action against their officers who locked the affected equipment as a way of preventing vandalism.

On the issue of the non-existent water supply, investigations were still ongoing as the contractor responsible, JKeart Pte Ltd, disputed the findings.

JCLTC has since concluded its investigations. Through CCTV footages, it found that the contractor, JKeart, failed in its duty to ensure that a selector switch in the pump room was in the correct, "auto mode". In "manual mode", the water supply was cut off. 

The technician from JKeart, as well as the Property Officer from the town council, will be redeployed.

JCLTC is fortunate to have CCTVs to assist in the investigations. This concerns safety and the various parties were responsible, not only residents in the constituency, but also to Singaporeans at large. If there was a structural or systematic defect that caused the water supply to be cut off, they needed to be fixed.

Now, Singaporeans can breathe easy.

However, a question still remains. In any organisation, the leader is the one responsible for setting the tone and cultivating the culture. Surely then, Murali Pillai, as an MP for the area, has to take responsibility for some of the oversight?

Hi Legit Sg admin, 

So like many kaypoh Singaporeans, I also watched the viral videos of the Trans-Cab driver road-raging... Old uni acquaintance shared it in our whatsapp group.

The driver sounded like he was from the PRC, and was the one shown kicking a car and also shouting profanities at another couple who was with a young child. From what I read online, the police is already investigating him for criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt. Trans-Cab has also terminated his employment with the company. Wanbao, also reported that the driver once had a company and lives in a condo in JB.

The uni acuaintance asked if we recognise him (the driver). That's when it dawned on us and we became even more schocked.

This fella was the most mild-mannered of persons and was soft-spoken, unlike the aggressive man we heard in the videos.

His name is Feng Zhan Ning. He used to be employed at NUS previously quite some time ago doing some research work.

What the people online are speculating is actually true. He is a naturalised Singapore citizen. Last time, he was a PRC national and then he became a PR. After that, then he became a citizen.

What happened to him? We don't know. From becoming a Singapore citizen because of his academic capabilities to becoming a taxi driver, we can only speculate what has gone wrong to see him become this angry person. The government did not give him a citizenship to become a taxi driver.

To go from working at NUS to become a taxi driver is a big jump. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with being a taxi driver. There are company directors who get retrenched and turn to becoming a taxi driver It's an honest living.

In the whatsapp group, we are speculating that he may have fallen on hard times. It is not easy transit from working as researcher to becoming a full-time driver. The financial pressures and stress must be different.

Yes, he is living in JB now. Cheaper there so maybe he can better cope with the lower cost of living there. However, it did not seem to help his state of mind.

Whatever it is, he needs to be responsible for his actions. Just because he was naturalised as a citizen and just because he used to work at NUS does not mean he should be absolved of responsibility for his inexcusable behaviour on the roads.

This year, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) was revamped by the organisers to meet the stringent requirements of the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM). From a single-day event, SSSCM morphed into a 3-day monstrosity, kicking off on the evening of 29 November.

With the change, the organisers aimed to place SCSM alongside other premier marathon events such as the Boston, New York, Tokyo, and London marathons.

As was the case, with the F1 weekend in Singapore, not eveyone was too thrilled by the mega show in in the down town area. It did not help that this weekend just past also saw U2 in concert at the National Stadium, the start of Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay, and the C3 Anime Festival Asia (AFA).

One netizen named Selwyn Koh was particularly incensed, prompting him to take to his Facebook to rant at the organisers of SCSM, urging them exercise some compassion by never organising a Saturday evening race again.

One look at the full listing of roads that are scheduled to be closed and anyone with a brain will know that it’s going to be a disaster.

You clog up the entire Singapore with the worst jam of the decade bringing traffic islandwide to a complete standstill, no thanks to your road closures on a Saturday evening, no less.

Simply put, you cannot simply close roads to make way for a run on a Saturday evening, because it affects a lot of people – many of whom are working.

To my friend who spent close to 4 full hours in a jam travelling from Sentosa to Fullerton Hotel, I feel for you. To my other friend who had to wheel her harp down Nicoll Highway while rushing for a performance, I feel for you. To another friend who was stuck in a taxi with a full bladder only to reach her destination with a $55 fare, I feel for you. To the lady in a lovely gown who was a wedding organiser at a wedding I attended last evening and had no choice but to park somewhere else while making a dash to the hotel with bags of wedding photo albums in tow, I feel for you. To all my friends who were affected by the road closures with every other person posting on social media, I really do feel for you. I was caught in the dreaded jam too.

It was awful for those who were stuck in traffic jams caused by SCSM. 

This was a commercial decision that did not fully take into account the impact on the general public. What is the point of being categorised in AbbottWMM? How will it improve Singapore and the lives of many Singaporeans who did not take part in the race?

Despite the inconveniences, those affected know that they will not likely get any compensation from the organisers.

The relevant authorities should look into such big events and ensure that profit-driven organsiers do not profit at the expense of Singaporeans.